The present invention relates to game piece manipulators and in particular to a user programmable randomizer.
Varieties of board games and games of chance are focused upon randomly manipulated game pieces, such as the spinning of a spinner relative to a numbered wheel, the throwing of dice or the manipulation of a marble relative to a valued game board compartment, as in roulette. Scoring, in turn, is determined in relation to the randomly manipulated game piece.
Applicant is aware that random movement of some game pieces can be facilitated with a mechanical appliance, such as with a dice cup or a rotatable dice cage. Devices of this type most typically contain the game piece within a housing having a generally unobstructed interior. Examples of some of such structures can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,360,267; 4,383,689; 4,826,170; 4,807,883; 4,805,908; 4,428,579; and 4,428,580. Movement of the surrounding housing determines the movement of the game piece.
Pinball machines and the like also depend upon a randomly manipulated game piece, although include obstructions which are rigidly secured to one surface of a game board to randomly direct the game piece, upon striking same. Ones of such games also include ledges positioned about the game board surface for catching the game piece. Such assemblies, however, provide for a fixed gameboard structure which does not permit user intervention relative to the positioning of the obstructions.
Appreciating, however, the greater variables of randomness which are introduceable by way of manipulators which permit user intervention and the further desirability of a holder for containing the game pieces, Applicant has developed a variety of constructions of randomizers which facilitate the foregoing ends.